Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Atonement Begins

Today I read Matthew 26, the chapter where the Savior is betrayed and performs the Atonement. There are several interesting things in this chapter that I have often wondered about. I also wonder why Matthew's account leaves out certain things that John puts in since they were both in the room at the last supper. I wonder if it has to do with the difference in audiences or if it has to do with John has the better memory and wrote his account after he was transfigured and so perhaps he had divine help in recalling the events. We will probably never know in this life.

Matthew records the last supper and gives almost a cliff notes version of the highlights of what happened in that room leaving out certain elements completely such as Jesus washing the Apostles feet and Judas leaving to go betray the Savior. But Matthew's account includes the sacrament and what it represents without going into too much detail. The Joseph Smith Translation adds a little more, but I think all religions are familiar with the sacrament and what it stands for and don't really want to focus too much on that.

Matthew then moves on to the act that is commonly referred to as the Atonement in the scriptures, that which was done in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew records that Jesus prayed to have the burden removed off of Him if at all possible, but stated that the Savior concluded that He was willing to put aside what He wanted and do as God saw fit. Matthew does not record the visit from the angel that Luke does nor the fact that He bled from every pore which Luke also recorded and Joseph Smith restores to the account and is confirmed in Doctrine and Covenants section 19. In Alma chapter 7 we learn that Jesus was not only taking upon Him our sins, but all our infirmities, our sicknesses, our times of loneliness, our hurts and pains, every negative thing and emotion that a person can feel. All at once. I often wonder if while He was going through it, if He saw our faces and it helped to bolster Him to know that He had saved Fred, or George, or Amy or Mary and so on. I would like to think that all of us, having yet to be born were standing silently around Him giving our support and praying with all our might for His success. We would have known that everything that had happened up to this point was hinging on that one moment in time. Again, we may never know in this life how it happened and the circumstances.

After it was over, the Savior came out of the Garden and woke Peter, James and John. What a sight He must have been. He was covered in blood, I'm sure He was filthy from kneeling on the ground and being wet from the blood all kinds of dirt and other things must be sticking to Him. I'm sure the Apostles exclaimed in shock at the sight of Him, though no such record is given. Then Judas came with the priests to take the Lord and valiant Peter stood forth to defend Him, still not understanding that this was all foreordained.

We will end on the denial of Peter. I have often wondered if the scriptures are not so much recording a revelation Jesus gives to Peter as it is recording a command that Jesus is giving him. Was Jesus rebuking Peter for his valiance saying that tonight you will yet deny me three times. Or was Jesus saying instead to Peter that he needs to deny knowing the Savior three times. Did He in fact take Peter aside and talk to him and help him understand that this is what needs to happen in order to save his life and that Jesus needs Peter to lead the church while He is off the earth? Did Peter cry out of shame at his own personal betrayal of the Lord, or was he crying because it hurt so much to not shout from the rooftops how proud he was to be associated with the Savior? We are not told and will not be told in this life I think. But it is my opinion and thought that Peter was in fact commanded to deny the Savior 3 times in order to save his life and preserve him. I have a hard time picturing the man who just cut off the ear of a guard to save the Savior's life suddenly being a coward and denying that he knew the Savior. To me, Jesus is not revealing that Peter will deny Him, but rather is commanding him to do it. But that is just my thought.

That is the account in Matthew and it is pretty much the same as the other three but there are things that are left out that are contained in other accounts that we will read in the coming months. However, we must remember that Matthew was writing to the Jews and so it makes sense that certain things are not included. I always get sad when reading about the Atonement and what the Savior did for me, because I know all too well what I have contributed towards His sufferings. I pray each and every day that I can become a better man so that I don't contribute too much more than I already have towards His suffering. I know that when I see Him again, I will fall at His feet and weep for joy and thanksgiving at what He did for me. I think most of us will in fact. But you know what, He was glad to do it and spare us that suffering, He volunteered because He loves us. Let us not betray that love and trust by willfully sinning and causing Him to suffer longer. Until tomorrow.

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